It's the Least I Can Do
by 10inactive01
Summary: (takes place after "Terminal") Beck was only skipping out on work. He was lazy. He was selfish. He'd abandoned his friends. So… why was he up in the middle of the night sweeping the garage floor?
_-i'm back! wow, it's been a while, huh? how's everyone doing? :)_

 _i binge-watched Tron: Uprising over Easter break and felt like writing another oneshot. this is my first fanfic without a song title or lyrics! i hope it's okay..._

 _so…_

 _here we go!_

* * *

Zed couldn't sleep.

Sleep mode was something he usually just drifted off into the moment his head hit the pillow. But after the cycle's events…

he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep.

Being the biggest garage in Argon, Pavel, it turned out, had no authority to fire them all. Tesler had canceled the hasty order, but now there would be unscheduled checks from either a set of guards or one of the orange-clad commanders.

Zed sighed and plopped down on one of the catwalks over the garage, his legs going over the edge in between the railing. Maybe a little time alone would be enough to re-center his scattered thought process-

"Zed!"

Or not.

He looked up at the loud whisper and grinned slightly. "Hey, Mara. Can't sleep either?"

"No way!" She was instantly beside him, her grin wider than the one on her modified helmet. "I can't believe we actually… that we actually did that!"

Zed chuckled. "Me neither. I-" he frowned.

Someone else was talking.

The two friends looked over the railing closer, quickly standing up at the low voice.

Someone was definitely in their garage that their memories didn't immediately recognize.

Zed and Mara moved forward on the shining blue platform silently, until Mara grabbed Zed's arm. "Look."

Both looked out over the garage and could see…

Tesler.

And Pavel.

And… Paige walking off somewhere else.

Pavel tilted his head and walked around a light cycle to address someone who was sweeping the floor. Zed frowned. "We're closed! Who's up at this time of night?!"

Mara leaned over the pole, biting her lip. "I think…" she hesitated, confused, "I think that's Beck."

"What?" Zed was incredulous and squinted in their direction.

Sure enough, it was Beck. The yellow light-laced broom in his hands was usually one Link handled with mediocre skill.

The two restless programs got quiet as Tesler raised his voice. "Why are you up working, program?"

Beck shrugged, and Mara cringed. He just SHRUGGED at General Tesler! That was a death wish. "I missed my shift," came his quiet reply.

Pavel smirked. "Sir, I'm sure of it. This is that miscreant who 'won'-" he sneered through the word, "his freedom at the Games."

Tesler's one hand glowed as he reached up to rub his chin in thought, allowing his memory banks to find the information slowly. "This one? He seems too scrawny to fight anyone."

Zed covered his mouth to keep from shouting in shock.

Beck was in the Games?

Mara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Beck, her friend, her sweet best friend, had been in the Coliseum fighting for his life-

and no one knew about it?!

Beck offered no reply, instead sweeping under the light cycle Pavel was now leaning on. Mara gasped. Tesler was right. Beck was smaller than usual to begin with, especially in height.

But now he was thinner than Zed.

Zed felt a shift in his code. An uncomfortable one. Beck looked horrible from a distance. He could see that even with the weight loss, Beck had some well built code. But not enough to compensate.

Tesler decided to poke the snake again. "No, I do recognize you now. Player… 5, correct?"

Beck looked up. "I do have a name, Sir."

Pavel jumped from his makeshift seat and grabbed Beck, his hand on his throat, his dark eyes burning for the shed of pixels all over the rebellious garage's floor. "How dare you address-"

"Pavel, it's fine." Tesler waved off his commander, who reluctantly released Beck. "So, what is your name?"

"Beck."

Pavel blinked. "You… you weren't among the others earlier. I'd recognize an insolent instigator like you any day!"

Beck looked up as he crouched under another light cycle to retrieve a misplaced wrench. "Earlier?"

Zed glanced at Mara. Beck hadn't been there…

Pavel ignored Beck's question and ranted, "Yes, I'm positive this one wasn't there, General."

Tesler's small smirk sent a chill down Zed's spine. "Where were you, program?"

Beck sighed. "Out with a friend."

"So that's why you missed your shift."

No response.

Beck stood up and walked away from the two Occupation officials to a tool cabinet. Placed the wrench inside softly and without turning to face them asked, "Can I ask why you're here?"

Tesler laughed darkly. "We're here because of what happened earlier. A… little rebellion occurred this cycle, involving all the programs in his garage and some bystanders. We can't fire you all-" he glared pointedly at Pavel, "but we can send a random squad of guards to check things out, to make sure you aren't Renegade sympathizers."

Everyone noticed Beck stiffen at this.

Everyone but Paige.

Mara nudged Zed's shoulder and quietly asked, "Uh, where did Paige go?"

"No…" Zed looked around. "No idea."

Pavel looked Beck up and down. "This program is many things… but he couldn't be a supporter, General."

"And why is that?" Tesler's voice got louder and harsher to hear, almost grating on Zed's ears.

"He was the one we arrested with Commander Paige."

WHAT?!

Zed's brown eyes widened. How had they missed this? How had Beck not told them?

Beck looked up at Pavel slowly and Tesler nodded. "Yes, I remember you. She cleared your name after you defied Pavel's orders."

An empty, exhausted stare met Tesler's eyes as Beck simply said, "You mean right before her disc was tampered with?"

"You know about that…" Tesler trailed off, anxious now.

Beck shrugged again, his movement suggesting he had the weight of the Grid on his code-thin shoulders. "She told me before we escaped." And he left it at that.

Pavel and Tesler continued to watch Beck clean the garage floor, returning loose tools to their rightful boxes in silence.

"Nothing Sir, no signs of-"

Paige broke off her report at the sight of Beck. Mara leaned on the railing more to just barely make out:

"No signs of sedition or hidden supplies."

Beck smiled sadly, turning a bent recoder in his hands. He pulled out Bodhi's tool and synced them together. It was fairly obvious he was avoiding Paige's stare as he shifted on his feet and found the jumbled, damaged code far more fascinating than the Occupation leader in front of him.

A long, hard look from Tesler seemed to be enough for the General to determine a verdict on this "Beck" character. He looked around. "You seem to make getting into trouble a habit, program. Don't get captured again."

Beck looked up at that. "With all due respect, Sir, I thought you were here because of the incident earlier, not to discuss my life choices."

Paige's hand covered her mouth before she could laugh. Zed and Mara both caught it. Watching Paige closely, Mara could see the same sadness from Beck's expression in her's.

Pavel, though, thought another nail in the metaphorical coffin was necessary. Quite a few, in fact. "What's the matter, program? Didn't you ever mention your infamous actions to anyone? Did you tell your friends? Is that why they did this?!"

Paige grabbed Pavel's arm. "That's enough," she threatened, pulling him backwards.

No reply came as Beck just shook his head.

Zed's throat tightened. Beck was standing down in the garage, getting bullied by Tesler and Pavel for…

for things he'd never bothered to bring up.

He hadn't trusted his best friends with the fact that he'd been arrested- twice! That he'd been in the Games. That he'd stood up for Commander Paige (which, if Zed and Mara were being honest, they thought of her as the nicest one of the three goons). That he'd, apparently, been the one cleaning he garage because there was no way Link's janitorial skills had miraculously improved this much.

And if he hadn't told them about this…

Zed and Mara looked at each other, brilliant blue eyes meeting brown as they both said, "What else hasn't he told us?"

As Tesler and his two minions left (after a few more jabs at Beck), they watched Beck sag to the ground against a light cycle.

From their nest, far above the newly cleaned garage floor, Zed and Mara could see how tired Beck looked. His movements were slow and screaming of exhaustion.

Mara bit her lip as the Recognizer stationed outside the garage lifted off the ground and was whisked away by the clear blue night sky. "What now?"

Zed looked worried. "I'd say cancel his shift for tomorrow, but…"

"… everyone already gets mad at him for time off," Mara finished, rubbing a hand over her eyes. Her head was pounding now. "We'll just have to wait until the end of his shift tomorrow. Ask him then."

"I don't like this," Zed muttered, watching as Beck finished sweeping and returned the now perfectly functioning recoder to its spot. He slipped his own away, without the usual toss.

Mara watched him sadly as he started to work on a light jet in the far corner of the garage.

Whatever he was getting into when he wasn't at work was slowly draining him, replacing their Beck with an exhausted shell.

They definitely needed to talk to him next cycle, before the need to apologize for snapping at him when she'd last seen him (two cycles ago) tore her programming to angst-riddled bits.

* * *

Mara shot another worried glance at Beck's back from Able's office.

She didn't like sitting in Able's chair. It felt wrong. It reminded her of how his life was robbed far too soon…

She was walking around the office, holding an old and dusty data pad, looking in awe at all of Able's artifacts and antiques. The one suit fascinated her. She pressed a hand to the glass on the tank that covered it, protecting the mysterious piece-

"Excuse me."

Mara jumped at the sudden rumbling voice and spun to face the door. Black clad program. Few circuits. Deep voice…

she was sure she'd seen him before. Just briefly, in passing, but he was familiar.

Mara noticed she'd been staring too long and cleared her throat, finding her voice only enough to squeak out, "C-can I help you?"

Zed appeared, going around the stranger's shoulder with a data pad loaded with new schedules. "I was wondering if I could speak with Beck," the program stated, crossing their arms.

The two friends looked at each other, then Zed shrugged. "Sure. Station seven."

"Thank you." And the program left.

Zed frowned, puzzled. "Who… you don't think that was Cyrus, do you?"

"No…" Mara shook her head, running a hand through her blue hair. "He's taller. And thinner. That's not him."

"What do you think he wants with Beck?"

Without a word both headed out the office doors, just in time to see Beck crawl out from under a light cycle. He grinned, but didn't deactivate his gear.

Zed slipped over to station eight, ducking behind Dash's workspace and motioning for him to stay quiet.

"Hard at work?"

Beck snorted. "Yeah. What else is new?"

Working? Beck? Here?! Um, was there something else going on that Zed and Mara still weren't aware of?

Like Cyrus…

or the other "boss"-

Zed quickly stopped himself from snapping his fingers in triumph. This might be the "boss" Cyrus tauntingly mentioned at the club!

Maybe now something would click into place...

The masked program knelt by Beck. "I didn't get to say it before, but thank you." Even with the synthesized distortion, the program's sincerity was crystal clear.

Beck froze for a nanocycle. "I was almost too late."

"Beck, I scanned my disc." The program's voice dropped and Zed could barely hear, "The repurposing didn't begin. You got there in time."

"Well, that's good." Beck continued working. "So, how are you feeling?"

"For the first time in… in a long time, I'm not in pain."

Beck smiled up at the program for a moment, then got back to work.

"Beck…"

"Yeah?"

"Clu is in Argon."

Beck's wrench fell from his hand. "He's here?"

"Yes." The program sighed. "And he probably thinks the plan worked. I guarantee he either thinks it worked, or that I was derezzed…"

"I feel like there's a big 'or' coming," Beck mumbled as Zed started to register what was said.

Clu…

was in Argon…

Clu was here.

"Or… he already knows it didn't, and learned from Cutler…"

Beck filled in the rest and sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Great. Just great."

"The odds of that, though, are slim. If he already knew, you'd be long gone or repurposed." Zed didn't think much of it; if Beck was, apparently, constantly in trouble with Tesler, he was some sort of target.

But Clu probably wanted the Renegade more than a mechanic, so...

Beck just looked up at his "boss" bleakly. "So what happens now?"

The other program was silent, watching Beck carefully. "Take off your gear."

"What?"

"Beck, take off your gear."

Beck's eyes widened a little at the gentle tone from the other program and Zed leaned around his makeshift wall to see why the program was so intent on Beck deactivating his protective gear.

And he gasped.

Zed thanked Flynn that no one heard his gasp except for Dash, who glanced over at Beck in what looked like irritation, and then concern.

The shielded program gasped as well. "Beck… when was the last time you had energy?"

Beck looked everywhere but the other program, continuing to work on the bike without his gear. Without the glowing visor and protective pieces, the dark bags under Beck's eyes were obvious; his eyes were dull, barely any golden-brown tint left. Exhaustion had stolen the sparkle from his eyes as he worked, and he was extremely pale, almost as white as the tile under his feet.

Looking closer, Zed could see his friend's hands trembling as he worked, and what looked like scarring on his wrists flare up with every tremor. Beck's face was gaunt, and his lips were a faint greyish-blue.

And his circuits! Why in the Grid hadn't he noticed before?! Beck's circuits were dull, the darker blue on his suit flickering and the main circuits a foreboding grey.

Dash spoke up. "Beck, you okay?"

Beck nodded, not looking at Dash at all. "Yeah," he answered, failing at trying to sound like he wasn't half-dead on his feet. "Just didn't sleep well."

"Or at all," Zed muttered, cursing himself for not noticing sooner.

The condition Beck was in took time to reach. That meant he'd been energy-deprived for cycles now. And even if he had gotten his hands on some energy, the usual amount wouldn't be enough of a recharge.

How long had this been going on?

Zed thought about it. At the club with Cyrus, Beck looked on edge. And worn down, but nothing like this. Their were slight bags under his eyes, and he'd lost some weight.

So he kept thinking back.

After his date (which he now knew was with Paige), Beck had seemed dejected. And tired. More tired than someone who hadn't rested well.

Zed scanned back through his memory further, reaching the sad conclusion that Beck had started becoming more and more run-down after Bodhi's death, and even more so after his one trip to Gallium for supplies.

This had gone on for far too long.

But the other program beat Zed to it. "Beck, you need to get some energy in your system."

"It can wait," Beck retorted meekly. "I have a shift to finish."

Dash snorted. "I doubt you'll last that long."

Zed thought he heard Beck mutter, "You'd be surprised," in response before reactivating his gear. The masked figure growled something that the helmet distorted beyond recognition. "Beck, you never answered me. When did you last have energy?"

The authoritative tone had Zed scared. He watched as Beck shrugged and calmly gave the shocking answer of, "Five cycles ago."

"Beck!"

"What? I've gone longer than that!"

"That doesn't make this right, Beck!"

Beck glared at the other program and barely kept his voice down as he argued, "When did I have time for it? You were DYING, and I wasn't about to let something like my needs get in the way. I've lost too many programs in my life, and you know it! I'll get some energy later. I'll be fine."

The other program looked around quickly, the reflection of the garage gleaming on his visor. "Beck, there's one thing you're forgetting."

"What's that?"

"Now that I'm healed… you can get some time off."

Beck froze. "But-"

"Stop right there. You're been running yourself into the ground trying to help me. Now that I'm well, I can take on some of these 'errands' on my own. And Clu bought us some time, since I'm sure he believes I've turned."

The wrench in Beck's hand fell again as Beck looked up slowly. "But what if you need help?"

"I think I can manage going solo for a few cycles." The other program laid a hand on Beck's shoulder. "You've done a lot, Beck. You deserve a break."

Beck smirked. "You mean before you kick my butt again?"

"Well, yes… but seriously," the other program patted Beck's shoulder before releasing him, "get some rest."

Beck nodded. "Alright." He picked up the wrench as the other program left, and continued working like he'd never shown up.

Zed snuck back to the office and replayed the conversation for Mara on his disc.

Mara was devastated. "He's going to derezz himself if he keeps this up!"

"I-I know," Zed said sadly. "He won't stop working to get any energy either."

Mara laughed bitterly. "I knew there was something wrong when he was actually on time for work." She picked up the new schedule list Zed had brought in earlier and flipped through it. This cycle's shift list was included, and across from each program on the current shift was the number of vehicles repaired, as well as what kind.

 **Station 1: Copper - 4 light cycles**

 **Station 2: Link - 2 lightcycles**

 **Station 3: Empty**

 **Station 4: Audri - 1 light cycle - 1 light jet**

 **Station 5: Empty**

 **Station 6: Empty**

 **Station 7: Beck - 6 light cycles - 1 light jet - 1 light crawler**

 **Station 8: Dash - 4 light cycles**

 **Stations 9-12: Tank repair**

 **Stations 12-16: Recognizer repair**

 **Stations 17-20: In need of extensive repair - cannot be used**

Mara reread the list. Beck had repaired eight vehicles, twice as many as his fellow workers on his shift. She looked up at Zed, handing him the list. He shook his head. "What is he thinking?!"

"I guess he feels like he needs to make up for missing so many shifts…" Mara bit her lip, worrying now. Programs often teased Beck for being late or skipping work. And some of the comments, or most of them, hadn't been playful banter.

Her and Zed were guilty too, though, especially after her comment in front of the whole garage staff after Able's death…

"And how would YOU know, Beck? You're not there! You're NEVER there!"

Mara punched the desk in frustration. "I can't believe… how much is he still hiding from us?"

"I really wish I knew," Zed replied softly, both of them looking out across the garage as Beck winced, briefly stopping. "I wish I knew…"

* * *

Beck's shift ended.

Zed and Mara had spent every agonizing nanocycle pacing in Able's office, watching him anxiously.

So when he didn't get out from under his eleventh vehicle, a sleek, older light cycle with grey rims, they were worried.

But they hoped against hope that maybe they were overreacting.

Maybe he was just finishing up, though. Or maybe he found a bigger problem than just the brakes being locked. Maybe he was waiting a moment before getting up.

Dash rushed across the garage and startled the friends as he poked his head in the door. "Um, Beck's not getting up."

That was more than enough to send the three running across the garage floor. "Beck!" Zed called out as they got closer.

No movement.

Mara reached him first and knelt beside him. "Beck?" she spoke softly, gently touching his side.

No flinch.

No move to get up from the harsh, chilly floor.

Nothing.

Dash turned the light cycle back into a baton and gasped.

Beck had fallen asleep.

His one hand still clutched Bodhi's recoder, though limply, and his back wasn't going to be quiet about its contorted position as he lay on the floor. His head was turned towards Dash's station, his gear deactivated.

And his breathing sounded horrible.

Mara sighed. "We shouldn't have had him work…" she trailed off, watching as several employees came over, concerned. "Dash, can you-"

"On it." Dash hurried to the break room, knowing exactly what to grab.

Link slipped around the forming crowd, eyes wide. "What happened?"

Zed didn't look up from his friend as he slowly turned Beck onto his side and removed his disc. "Beck passed out." He activated the systems area to view Beck's energy levels-

ACCESS DENIED.

Zed blinked. "What?" he heard others around him mumble "how is that possible?" and "why would Beck's disc be blocked?", but tuned them out.

Why WAS Beck's disc under a passcode?

Mara stared at the four digit passcode, then glanced around at the crowd. "Let's get him up to his room. I'm sure the disc is just in lockdown because he's so weak."

"Weak?" one program snorted. "Beck's always at the club! Why-"

"He was sent to the Games, Xander," Zed spat angrily, needing to defend Beck because he realized now that even if Beck wasn't awake, he'd take the hasty judgement without a word. "I hardly think that is having a good time at the Club."

Everyone fell silent.

Beck, their lazy co-worker, had been sent to the Games?

Link's jaw dropped. "Then how is he here?"

"He won his freedom."

Everyone turned at the sound of Commander Paige's voice. She was holding a baton with a decent gash through the middle. Everyone was shocked to see her look, what was it, almost sad? Concerned?

Dash reappeared, holding a glass of energy. He'd overheard a bit of the conversation. "How do you win your freedom? I didn't think anyone ever escaped."

Paige focused on Beck. "He and another program teamed up. They were good. And… Tesler thought a 'reward' was in order. A duel to the death, with the winner going free."

Mara paled. She couldn't fathom caring, compassionate Beck killing anyone!

Paige seemed to know what they were thinking and explained, "Both of them just stood there, refusing to fight… until Tesler put up an energy wall. They had to fight or be crushed. The other program insisted they let Beck go. He forfeited."

Mara frowned. "With all due respect, why did you come here?"

"My light cycle got damaged, thanks to Pavel." She handed it to an employee. "No rush. I have another baton with me." She saw the red warning on Beck's disc and reached towards Zed. "May I have a look?"

"Why?" Dash growled.

Paige glared back. "I used to be a medic. There's a way to override those codes. And I know how."

Zed hesitated, but after hearing Beck groan weakly, he handed the disc over. "He… he hasn't had energy in five cycles."

Paige's brown eyes saw red. "What?!"

Mara smiled slightly; she could see that Paige still cared about Beck. "We should've noticed, but…"

Paige didn't answer, instead finding the bypass to the passcode quickly. Beck's blue glowing figure appeared, along with two flashing warnings.

Wait, two?

Paige bit her lip. This wasn't good. "I thought you said he was only low on energy…" She stared at the second warning.

"As far as we knew, that was it," Zed mumbled. "What's wrong?"

"Get some of that energy in him first. It might help…"

Mara took the glass from Dash and gently propped Beck up on her lap, getting a couple of small sips into his mouth. She rubbed his neck, getting him to swallow. His circuits glowed a bit brighter, but that was all. "Help what?"

Paige set the disc down and knelt by Beck. She took his hand and turned his arm slightly-

and then ran her fingers over his wrist.

Zed and Mara were horrified. "What-"

"Exposed code…" Paige hadn't seen anything like this in a long… long time. "It's never been treated." She picked up the unconscious program's disc again and scanned his wrists. "It's infected with recycled code." Another moan from Beck. "Can we get him to a bed or table?"

"His room's upstairs, so that's doable." Dash lifted Beck easily, his shock obvious at how easy. "C'mon."

Mara looked around at the crowd. "Zed and I are going with Beck. Next shift starts soon. Get to work."

Paige had never heard Mara so harsh. Or demanding.

Being a leader could change someone.

Zed led the way to Beck's room, the door sliding open on its own. He sighed.

Paige looked up from her ex-boyfriend's (was that even the right term?) disc. The white walls were bare. The desktop in the corner was bare. The bed was neatly made.

The room was spotless, untouched. "This place is… neat," Paige managed.

"He hasn't been here in a while," Mara noted, wiping her fingers over the desktop and brushing the dust off.

Dash laid Beck on his bed and silently slipped away after being thanked by Mara.

Paige kept working on Beck's disc. "If I could find out how he got injured, it would make this a lot easier."

"Can't we check his memories?" Zed asked, anxious to help his friend.

Paige shrugged sheepishly. "I… we could."

Mara shook her head. "Beck deserves his privacy. There's things he hasn't told us about for a reason. We have to respect that."

Zed nodded in agreement, even though it hurt a little. "She's right, Commander."

"I understand." Paige thought a moment. "It looks like burns. The scarring matches up. But on his wrists?"

"Do cuffs do that?"

Paige shook her head. "No. They shouldn't."

"Then what did this?"

Mara's eyes went wide, the blue pulsing with fear. "He didn't tell us about the Games, or getting arrested, and about his other boss-"

"Beck works two jobs?"

Mara nodded. "… and he never told us about how he met Cyrus."

Zed stood stone still, his breath stopped.

"Cyrus?" Paige inquired, trying to start repairing the damage.

"Beck's friend."

Zed thought back. Cyrus had seemed cool. But it was odd how neither him nor Mara remembered anything between sitting with Cyrus after Beck left the club and waking up in that crane… "They didn't seem to get along very well," he muttered.

"They were just kidding with each other," Mara reasoned, albeit half-heartedly.

Zed shook his head slowly. "I don't think so. Beck kept glaring at him. And it's funny how we both passed out at the club, drinking that energy…"

There was no way… Mara stood from kneeling beside Beck's bed. "Are you suggesting-"

"-that Cyrus was the one who locked us in the crane?" Zed scratched the back of his neck nervously. This was too unnerving. "And the one who… who killed Able?"

Mara saw Beck in a whole new light. How long had he been hiding this secret? How was he still going, pushing himself through every cycle?

Paige stayed silent, watching as the two friends tried not to crumble under their theory.

Zed glared out the window. "He might've done this to Beck."

"Is he ever going to tell us anything?" Mara asked desperately. "I get that he was trying to protect us, but…" her gaze hardened. "If I ever see Cyrus again-"

"I'll get to him first," Zed vowed, crossing his arms. "And he won't live to see the next cycle."

Paige looked up at them, watching as Beck's coding finally responded to her care. The injured code on his wrists glowed viciously, pulsing wildly, but was encased in a deep blue hue and faded to black. She gingerly touched his arm.

No code shown through.

She smiled to herself and ran a hand through Beck's hair. He looked so tired… "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear, saddened greatly as he turned towards her touch.

How long had he been alone? Holding everything in? Hiding?

He was a good guy.

He deserved better.

Paige sighed and pushed herself back up. Zed and Mara waited for her news. She grinned. "His wrists are back to normal. And he'll recover in two cycles, with good amounts of energy and rest. Another cycle, and he would be derezzed. He…" she didn't know if mentioning this was a good idea, but it was horrifying to think about, "He almost lost his memory at one point. I think that's why his disc is locked. Preserves memory longer if the disc is stolen. He'll be fine. He's just exhausted."

"Thank you," Mara said gratefully. "You didn't have to-"

"I did." Paige's sad smile returned. "I owed him that much. He… he's a great program."

Zed grinned. "And a good friend. Really, Commander, thank you."

Paige just smiled and turned to leave. "Clu's in Argon. Be careful."

And with that, she left.

Zed breathed a sigh of relief and exhaustion. "I… what just happened?"

Mara held Beck's disc, ready to re-attach it to his dock. "I think we discovered way more in the last cycle than we ever wanted to. Here, let's put his disc back-"

 ** _"No, Tron!"_**

Both froze as the disc started to play a memory, the display showing the energy plant across the city.

 _ **Beck watched in horror as the Renegade held a soldier up with one hand, his disc blazing in the other.**_

Zed watched as Beck panted, getting his breath back and gripping the railing of the catwalk like his life depended on it.

 _ **Suddenly Tron's disc deactivated and the soldier was dropped. Tron shifted his stance. "You're only alive for one reason… to deliver a message."**_

 _ **The rest was quiet, and then Tron simply walked away, letting his helmet close over his face.**_

 _ **Beck stared down at the lone soldier, slowly turning and making an exit.**_

The disc died down and the memory faded, the files closing.

Mara gasped. "He knew Tron was alive. He knows…"

Zed kept his gaze trained on the disc. "I can't believe it. Tron stole my bike! And returned it! Tron!"

Mara laughed. "Wow… but we don't tell Beck we know."

"What? Why not?"

"He doesn't want us to know, not yet." Mara slipped his disc onto her friend's back and covered him with a blanket. "We weren't supposed to even see that memory."

Zed agreed. "Okay. I'll stay with him. If he wakes up-"

"-give him energy, keep him comfortable," Mara finished. "Thanks, Zed."

"No problem." Mara left to supervise the next shift (and to quell any new rumors about Beck), and Zed pulled Beck's desk chair over, watching over his friend. "I don't mind covering your shifts. It…" he choked for a nanocycle, his throat tight. "It's the least I can do."

* * *

 _-this was so fun for me to write, and i hope you guys enjoyed reading it! please let me know what you thought of it. (sorry for any mistakes or typos :( )_

 _God bless! :)_


End file.
